New whip of the People’s Party Rep. Park Jie-won on Thursday called on President Park Geun-hye to change her approach to administration if she wants his party’s cooperation.

“If the president changes and asks for our cooperation, we will cooperate on anything, not just on (the decision) on the seat for the National Assembly speaker,” Park said in a radio interview.

The People’s Party won 38 seats in the incoming 20th Assembly, rising as the game changer with casting power between the ruling party’s 122 seats and the main opposition party’s 123 seats.

“President Park Geun-hye has shoved all responsibility to the National Assembly, while she has no accomplishment to show in the last three years. Instead (all she did) was slam her fist on the table,” Park said.

He was referring to recent news reports that detailed how Park expressed her frustration toward the legislation by knocking her fist on the table during a presidential meeting. Park has reiterated her distaste for the current Assembly during a meeting with chief news editors, saying that the people have voted to create a three-party system after being disappointed by current politics. During the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Park repeated her calls for the Assembly’s cooperation in passing pending economic bills to save the sluggish economy.

“If President Park honestly admits her maladministration, seeks for help, persuades the opposition leaders and asks for the People’s Party’s cooperation to have a ruling party member assume the speaker’s seat, we may consider (the option) based on patriotism,” the veteran lawmaker said.

Park, a former aide to late President Kim Dae-jung, has served three terms for the Jeolla Province constituency. Park was unanimously approved as the party’s new floor leader on Wednesday. This is Park’s third time serving as a political party’s whip. Park’s Saenuri and Minjoo counterparts are to be elected next month.

Park left The Minjoo Party of Korea ahead of the April 13 general election in a nomination fallout. Park joining the People’s Party, along with a handful of other former Minjoo members, is considered to have contributed to the People’s Party’s overwhelming victory in the Gwangju and Jeolla regions.

“Through the eight years of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, the economy has come to its limit. It has reached a point where we will not survive unless restructuring takes place on all sectors, not just shipping and marine transport industries,” Park said.

As for the question of the possibility of strategically aligning with the Saenuri Party, Park said it would be a matter of principle.

“The identities of the Saenuri Party and us are completely different. (An alliance) may be possible if they come to us with full acknowledgement of our identity.”

The People’s Party, co-led by entrepreneur-turned-politician Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo and former justice minister Chun Jung-bae, is widely perceived as a centrist party comprising of conservative and progressive members.

As for the possibility of joining hands with the Minjoo Party for the sake of an administration change at next year’s presidential election, Park said, “A traditional opposition party must acquire the support of Honam (Gwangju and Jeolla). It cannot be achieved just with Honam (votes) but also without Honam.”

“This is not yet a time to talk about an alliance, but to be recognized that if the People’s Party becomes a ruling party, and if chairman Ahn Cheol-soo becomes president, this is the kind of administration that (the people) will get.”

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)